Hainan eyes new satellite network

The southernmost island province of Hainan is preparing a satellite network that is expected to enable China to conduct effective and efficient surveillance over the South China Sea.

Design work for the Hainan Earth-Observation Satellite Constellation, a project headed by the Sanya Institute of Remote Sensing in Hainan and sponsored by the provincial government, has begun at the institute and by its contractors.

The first in the constellation, a Hainan 1 optical satellite, is scheduled to be launched in the second half of 2019, according to a statement from the institute.